Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman isn’t concerned with diversity initiatives or political correctness. But while the conservative billionaire mocks liberal Silicon Valley culture, a backlash could be brewing

• Insiders say the CEO doesn’t care about social causes. He’s focused on making shareholders money.
• A crewmember said Slootman stopped sailing competitively because “everybody was out to get him.”
• When he became CEO of Snowflake, Frank Slootman cut costs, including the company ski trip to Tahoe.

In July 2017, two years before he took over as the chief executive of Snowflake, Frank Slootman raced 2,225 miles across the Pacific Ocean, from the California coast to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, on Invisible Hand, his sleek 52-foot sailboat made from carbon fiber and 3D-printed titanium.

The seven-day competition, the Transpacific Yacht Race, was a test of both mental and physical stamina, in which he navigated his boat with a 10-person crew while cold, wet, and sleep-deprived. Each member maintained a grueling schedule of three hours on deck followed by three hours of sleep, 24 hours a day.

Everyone, that is, except Slootman. He barely slept, said Ruben Gabriel, one of the crew.